Run, Forever, “Settling” LP

The first long-player from Run, Forever in a year and a half -- and the first recordings from the band in over a year -- Settling is an album that's been long-awaited. Now that it's out on Tiny Engines, what do we have?
Run, Forever's sound on Settling is the natural successor to the late '90s / early '00s acts who filtered alternative rock through a pop filter (i.e., the entire Drive Thru records roster). On this LP, Run, Forever flip the equation, filtering alterna-pop through an indie rock filter.
The songs on this album are catchy and heartfelt, but messy and dark. It's a lot like Titus Andronicus, but much like that band, I enjoy Settling as a fleeting thing. It's an enjoyable enough record, but I don't see myself returning to it all that album. It's basically good, but uncompelling.
The one exception is the guitar tone in the main riff of album opener, "Sun Bruised." Ohmyfuckinggod. It's sickeningly killer. It's song that makes girls shake their hips and swing their hair, and anyone with an ounce of soul in their bones will bop up and down, then flail madly doing air guitar when that riff comes up.
The physical release is something with which I've almost spent more time than the music -- it's a pressing of 500, with 100 on opaque green, 125 on opaque pink, 125 on opaque blue, and 150 on white with black smoke. I got the smoke and it looks a little dirty. Not quite as good as the clear smoke variants one usually sees, but it's mitigated by the matte jacket, which has a glossy logo with matte imagery on top of that, then glossy on top of that. Pretty fucking choice.
It's available now from the Tiny Engines store.
Settling by Run Forever